Balancing Act

Good home office design can help keep your personal and work lives separate.

For many, working from home was once an occasional thing—a day here or there, where the kitchen table or living room could serve as a temporary workspace for a couple of hours. Then the pandemic upended life, and the sudden closure of offices created a new era of remote work that appears to be here to stay.

Overnight, homes turned into offices.

An easy change in theory, but in reality, it can take a mental toll when the line between home and work starts to blur.

“Helping people to live and work under the same roof takes some creative problem-solving,” says interior designer Annie Ballin, owner of Annie Ballin & Co. “It’s not just about picking a wall to put a desk and computer on. We also have to think in terms of productivity, comfort, and how easily it is to separate work from home life.”

When the daily commute is walking from the dining room to the kitchen, there’s no leaving work life behind. “We highly recommend implementing some emotional boundaries so you have defined habits to help with the daily transition from home life to work and back again to home life,” Ballin says. “These habits are essential for anyone who works from home. Otherwise, you will find yourself jumping in and out of both worlds multiple times a day, which diverts attention, decreases productivity and increases stress.”

A key to building those mental and emotional boundaries is creating physical ones. In other words, the kitchen table office needs to go.

But, once again, that’s easier said than done. Designing a home office in new construction, Ballin says, is much different than trying to carve out a space in an existing home. In a new home, she can customize the space to the client’s individual needs—creating built-ins, for instance. And, more often than not, she says, the office is not a part of another room. The pandemic, however, created a sudden need for many homeowners to convert existing space into a suitable office—and fast.

“With the pandemic, we all saw the shift and often urgent needs of setting up a workspace at home,” Ballin says. “What may have been a temporary solution became more permanent as the months turned into years.”

Another problem, adds Ballin, are households where more than one person works remotely. In many instances, she adds, families—especially younger families—don’t have extra space to spare. “Having a big room that is empty or doesn’t serve a specific purpose for daily use is not as common as one might think,” she says. Setting up a home office in the laundry room or the master bedroom isn’t ideal, she adds, but is sometimes unavoidable.

“For young professionals who live in a tiny one-bedroom or shared apartment, their workspace usually lands in the bedroom. If that’s the case, we recommend, if possible, a large plant or trifold screen to offer some separation,” Ballin says.

Ballin’s creativity shines in a small second office she designed for a couple who, due to the pandemic, were now both working from home. During the renovation of the master suite, Ballin suggested relocating the suite’s door. This allowed her to convert a small ante room, which was something of a “catch-all,” into its own dedicated office space that can be completely closed off from the rest of the house.

The clean lines of the Pompanoosuc Mills furniture, quiet wall color and soothing colors and patterns of the rug create a welcoming work environment. New Hampshire artist Matthew Smith’s loon print and a beautiful Simon Pearce lamp complete the space without being overwhelming. Uncluttered, it’s ideal as a workspace or “simply a nice place for a book and cup of tea,” Ballin says.

In another instance, an existing home office needed revamping as part-time remote work became full time.

The homeowner’s large entryway had always served as an office space, but originally there was no definition between the entry and the work area. Ballin added the half wall and column, which “define the space without constriction,” she says. There is also a set of French doors to separate the office from the main home, and the front door can be locked during working hours to avoid interruptions. Traditional executive furnishings keep things organized and efficient, and since video conferences are a daily occurrence, the wall behind the desk can serve as a nice backdrop.

“The lush dark green color was chosen for the walls to complement the natural surroundings as well as the terracotta tiles and existing drapery,” Ballin says. Indeed, a large bank of windows offers a restful view of the river and beautiful gardens. Those views, along with “the luscious indoor plants,” says Ballin, create a feeling of “working in woodland sanctuary.”

For Eve Burton, executive vice president of Hearst and chairwoman of Hearst- Lab, that sense of comfort combined with practical function was exactly what she needed at her New London home.

“Because of the pandemic, I needed to transform an under-used kids’ room into a high-performing office space,” Burton says. “My need to connect with the world and to use the space many hours a day meant that it needed to be high-tech enabled but also cozy and warm for long calls and problem-solving globally.”

Cicely Beston of Cicely Beston Interior Designs watched the way Burton worked, noting that she had “no less than six projects going on at any time.” Beston realized Burton would need to stay highly organized, able to pull relevant files, cycling them in and out multiple times a day. She also needed room for long-term storage and space to charge multiple laptops without unsightly cord clutter.

It’s much like designing a kitchen, Beston says. In addition to practical work needs, your height, dominant hand and other physical attributes matter when creating a functional and comfortable space.

The result of Beston’s careful observation is a room full of ingenious organizational elements, many of which blend in seamlessly.

“Cicely worked carefully with many trades and expert craftsmen to design a well-lit, efficient and comfortable office,” says Burton, adding that she’s grateful Beston took advantage of the stunning views of the nearby mountains, not to mention the natural morning and afternoon light.

To achieve this, Beston removed a chunky built-in that protruded into the room from under the bay window. This also allowed her to create a reading space with chairs that can swivel to face the window.

Making these changes (and many more) wasn’t easy. The house, constructed in 1904, presented all sorts of quirks—like obsolete but tricky cast iron pipes in the walls. Getting rid of that chunky built-in meant working closely with the HVAC crew. Adjustable lighting that can mimic the natural light patterns of the day was important, and adding the room’s recessed lights, Beston says, “was a labor of love.”

Just as important as the functional elements is how the room feels.

The classic New England blue color, which Burton loved, appears elsewhere in the home, so Beston matched it and used it throughout the office. She wanted to create a balance of blue, white and natural wood, which she achieved with the help of the new birdseye maple closet doors. Along with the last-minute decision to add carpet, the warm, cozy space Burton envisioned was complete.

“From carpentry and electric to cabinetry and painting, she turned a tired back room into a beautiful showcase,” says Burton. “Her attention to every personal way I worked to prefect workflow and light was exquisite, with the added benefit of significant storage capability to enhance time efficiency.”

Beston, too, is pleased with how the room came together.

“I’m a form-follows-function designer—if the space doesn’t work, I’ve failed no matter how beautiful the space is,” Beston says. “This space is the perfect synergy of both.”

Annie Ballin added the half wall and column to help divide the living space from the office area.

RESOURCES

Annie Ballin & Co. • annieballin.com

Cicely Beston Interior Designs

cbestoninteriordesigns.com